


Solace

by Jeyfeather1234



Series: Burning Eyes [2]
Category: GODZILLA Trilogy (Anime 2017)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Cuddling & Snuggling, Family Loss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Late Night Conversations, M/M, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Canon, Sleep, Sleep Deprivation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2018-11-30
Packaged: 2019-08-27 21:06:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16710025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jeyfeather1234/pseuds/Jeyfeather1234
Summary: Sequel to "Sleep"Metphies hasn't been getting enough sleep and Haruo tries to help him even though he keeps being pushed away.





	Solace

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LordAkira18](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordAkira18/gifts).



> Thank you, LordAkira18, for the wonderful idea/prompt for this story.

Haruo sat down at the lunch table where Yuko, Leland, and Lazzari were sitting. "Hey, Haruo," Yuko greeted.

"Hey. What's the latest gossip today?" She shrugged.

"Nothing new," Leland responded. "People are dying and we still haven't found a planet to inhabit."

"That's it?" Lazzari took a sip of his water before speaking.

"Metphies hasn't been getting enough sleep and it's driving me and every other Exif crazy," he said. Haruo blinked in surprise as he chewed some rice.

"He's sleep deprived?"

"You didn't know?" Leland asked, raising a brow. "I'm surprised since he's usually around you."

"I haven't seen him in a couple of days so I wouldn't know. Whenever I stopped by to see him, they'd say that he's sick or he's having one of those days so I couldn't really talk to him or anything. But why would he be sleep deprived?"

"Do you think it's his PTSD kicking in?" Yuko asked. "I mean, he did watch his planet get destroyed as we did. There's plenty of people here who suffer from that kind of stuff."

"Perhaps," Lazzari agreed. "Endurph told me that this the second time he's done this. The first time, they had to slip sleeping pills into his drinks during dinner. He said if this keeps up, Metphies might slip into depression again."

"Speak of the devil," Leland muttered. Haruo turned to see Metphies heading towards their table and scooted over a little to give him room to sit. The Exif priest really did look exhausted but at the same time, he looked irritated. He'd also decided to leave his hair down instead of putting it up in the usual Exif hairstyle. As he sat down, he immediately started eating and refused to make any eye contact with anyone at the table.

Haruo began, "I hear you've been sleep deprived lately. What's up with that?"

"I don't want to talk about it," the older yet young looking man responded bitterly.

"Why not?"

"Because it's none of your business." He returned to his meal and didn't say a word to anyone after that. Halfway through, he stood up and moved to a different table where some Exif were talking to each other in their native tongue. Yuko sighed in relief. Haruo couldn't help but feel worried for him. He'd never seen him act like this before. Why wasn't he getting enough sleep? Was he having nightmares?

"I'm gonna talk to him tonight," he stated.

"You're crazy," Leland muttered, shaking his head as he picked at his food. "He's going to lash out at you and probably get triggered."

"Metphies is by my side when nobody else is and always helps me out of tough situations. I have to be there for him even if he doesn't want me to."

Later that afternoon, Haruo stood in front of the windows, looking out at the billions of stars in the universe. Green, blue, purple, and white light glittered the darkness. He sighed, leaning against the railing. Metphies had refused to speak with him today and he wondered how long he was going to keep avoiding him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Endurph quietly stand near him and rest his arms on the railing. He looked a little weary and in need of a vacation. For a short while, they didn't speak until Haruo couldn't stand the awkward silence between them. "Is he going to be okay?" he asked quietly.

"Hm?"

"Metphies. He'll be okay, right?"

"I don't know. He's a troubled soul who needs a lot of prayers right now. This isn't the first time it's happened."

"I've heard. Does he talk about it with you?"

"This morning he came to my room and had a mental breakdown. He didn't say anything regarding it afterward." Haruo lowered his gaze. If Metphies didn't even want to talk about what was bothering him with his superior, who would he talk to? He couldn't keep all this pain to himself. It'd kill him. Haruo found that he feared that more than anything. He didn't want Metphies to die because of something that probably wasn't his fault. He cared for him too much to let him die like that. Endurph startled him by saying, "You're a good kid. Sometimes your stubbornness and recklessness get the best of you, but you're not as bad as others say you are. You're in pain just like Metphies and both of you need each other." He looked up at him. "As concerned as I am regarding his mental health, I won't always be there when he needs me the most. I have my people to take care of and the Committee isn't helping so I need you to make sure he gets some sleep at night. Can you do that for me?"

"I'll do whatever I can," he promised. The older man smiled slightly and patted him gently on the shoulder.

As he walked by, he murmured, "Let me know when he finally goes to sleep."

"I will."

* * *

Metphies surprised Haruo one night when he came into his room and sat in a chair next to his desk. "I didn't think you'd come tonight," Haruo said.

"You have nightmares when I'm not around."

"I heard somewhere that people sleep better next to their loved ones. Maybe you should sleep in my bed with me. It might help knowing you're not alone at night." The blonde let his hair down and placed the hair bands on the desk. "You know, you look better with it that way."

"Thank you," he said quietly.

Haruo stared at him in concern. "Why do you keep pushing me out? I'm trying to help you, you know. If you don't rest, you're going to die. So please, Metphies. Let me help you or at least get someone to help."

"Go to sleep, Haruo."

"Not until you do. You really need to get some rest or they're going to have to drug you. Please, just tell me what's wrong."

Silence.

"It's the nightmares, isn't it? You have them too." He received a quiet yes as a response. "What are they about?" Metphies glanced back at him with the slightest frown. "Fine. Since you won't tell me what's wrong, I won't talk to you."

"That's childish."

"And refusing to tell me what your problem is, isn't? I-- no, just forget it. It's not like anyone would be affected if you died anyway. Goodnight." Haruo shut off the lamp on his nightstand and laid down angrily. He didn't understand why the Exif priest was being so stubborn. All he wanted was to help him. Couldn't he understand that?

Haruo awoke later on when he hit the floor with a loud thud. He groaned, rubbing his aching shoulder. "What the hell...?" He sat up, suddenly catching the sound of crying. Alarmed, he got up and saw the source of the noise. Metphies was in his bed, wrapped tightly in his blanket with his back turned towards the wall. His body shivered like he was out in the cold as he tried in vain to stifle the unwanted sounds of pain. Haruo sat beside him and hesitantly rested a hand on his shoulder. "Hey," he murmured gently as the blonde curled into the fetal position. "Hey, it's okay. It's okay, I'm right here. Nothing's gonna hurt you anymore. You're safe with me." He flinched a little as the Exif priest grasped his wrist and pressed his fingers against his trembling lips. Slowly, he laid beside him and rested his chin on his upper arm. He stroked his long, silky hair and comforted him as best as he could. When the priest began to quiet down, he twined his fingers in his. "You'll be okay." Metphies turned and wrapped his arms around him. He didn't say anything as he pressed his face against his hair. Haruo tensed a little as he kissed him softly before relaxing. He pulled away after a moment. "Can you tell me what's wrong now?"

"I...I can't seem to forget what happened that day," the blonde said quietly. "My home..."

"I had to leave mine too. My parents were killed by that bastard--"

"You don't understand. I lost _everything_. I can't go back there anymore, I can't tell my wife that I love her, I can't hold my children, my friends...they're all gone."

"You didn't lose everything. You have me and Endurph. Bottling up your emotions isn't healthy. There's always someone you can talk to if something's wrong." Haruo push back the priest's hair and pulled into a tight embrace. He pressed his face into his shoulder, holding him close. "It'll be okay, I promise." They stayed like that for the rest of the night, pressed close together as a means of quelling the nightmares they shared for they needed each other just as night and day were needed to keep track of time.


End file.
